My Quest for Citizenship

When you think of South Korea, you may think of images like this:

South Korea soldiers stand guard at North and South Korea border. Photo: Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji

You may also think of images like this:

DMZ border at Imjingak, South Korea. Photo: Cosmojin.com

The DMZ is considered the most dangerous border in the world...and those who try to cross illegally are usually shot. Guards are posted at the border 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some guards must be posted half behind the buildings in case they are fired upon by the enemy.

     

Thankfully, I live several kilometers south and don't need to cross that border.

But that doesn't mean I don't have borders to cross. From the time I landed in SK, I encountered mountains to climb.

Created at WriteComics.com

The only thing you can do is strap on the backpack and face those mountains.

Challenge #1: Language

Language was a big challenge. However, I luckily had a couple months to prepare before I arrived. Hangul (한글), the Korean written language is easy to learn, and considered one of the easiest in the world to learn .

Hangul (한글) Korean Alphabet. josefwigren.com
Once I memorized the characters and sounds, it was on like peppercorn! Unfortunately, using the language in conversation is an entirely different story. Even though I had learned the Korean alphabet, I wasn't even close to being prepared for the onslaught of failed attempts at communication I would face. Going to the supermarket and getting basic necessities? No problem. The real power struggle lied in places where administration, financial and legal affairs took place. I felt blocked by that invisible language barrier, stuck on the outside...

The Invisible Barrier

...and I wanted in. Needless to say, the challenge never ends. It has taken years to reduce those social and psychological distances and barriers to acquiring a second language, and I still find myself wanting in. I've developed strategies to help me survive. I've got my Korean friends, learners and the kindness of the occasional Koreans who offer assistance. I still struggle with the language, encountering situations of being powerless, situations when I need to mobilize reinforcements. In a world where superheroes and villains are real, I sometimes must summon a superhero with real power, the power to break through those boundaries and language barriers:

My wife...my superhero
It hurts to feel powerless and to rely on others for help. Thus, it was really difficult for me to admit defeat and depend on my wife and family in situations which I normally take care of myself. My independence had been destroyed, and I want it back.

Challenge #2: Becoming Naturalized

As an American, I've always been instilled with the sense of independence, raised on the belief that America creates hope for those in search of a better life, where freedom means "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". It's the land of the free, home of the brave, nurturing patriotism for "God and Country". It's a place where people come, and still risk their lives to live the American Dream. It's a beacon of light, a beacon of hope in the outstretched hand of liberty as she meets the weary souls with the words of The New Colossus.

The 1903 bronze plaque located in the Statue of Liberty's museum. NPS
It's in our language. It's found in our anthem, in our history, in our songs...


Composed by Lee Greenwood. YouTube.com

and in our families.

The Hensley Family
It's in our pride. It's that pride I was instilled with as a white, privileged country boy from Indiana...privileged; I didn't know any better. It's that same American Pride, an ethnocentric barrier that I'm trying to cross as I face my life's next challenge as an expatriate in search of another language, another life in South Korea.

And there lies the border.

I'm an American and still proud. I was a part of the culture for more than 30 years. It made me who I was...was. I'm still an American, but I'm a different person. As I become a part of Korean culture, what it means to be an American comes into question. Being an American isn't just a nationality, it's an ideal, an ideal of being free, being independent, of having the right to pursuit your own destiny...an ideal I'll wield in the challenges I have ahead.

Becoming a naturalized citizen of another culture also takes a sense of pride. It's a national pride for your country and your fellow citizens. It's the pride found in our anthems.


The Korean National Anthem. 때한민국

It's the pride is our history.

Korean Empire Photo: studentsoftheworld.info

It's the pride in our songs...



not to mention our dance...



It's the pride in our families.


우라 가족 (Our Family)

As I continue my quest toward becoming a Korean citizen, I've learned humility and the value of continuing to strive for goals. The borders and boundaries for me haven't been physical, but ones I've got to cross nonetheless. As privileged as I've been in this life, I've learned that nothing makes you more of a citizen of any culture than having a family to share those values and traditions with. 

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